feminism

If we ever needed proof that people appreciate a smart, opinionated woman who's not afraid to stand up for her rights, well, this: AskMen has named feminist Emma Watson as its "Most Outstanding Woman in the World." From the men's site: It's fitting that the little girl who was cast to play her back in 1999 would grow up to become a woman not so different from the fictional heroine she embodied. The 24-year-old Watson has noble pursuits in mind. Her alignment with the United Nations' HeForShe campaign has made her the face of feminism right now, and she's helping change the way men think about women. Now that's power. AskMen publisher James Bassil had this to say about Watson: "Rather than be content with a life of luxury, she's thrown her back into a serious social issue in an effort to shift the way our society treats women." Watson was selected not just for her work with the U.N. but also for hosting a Q&A at Facebook on International Women's Day, being named the British Artist of the Year at the Britannia Awards, winning numerous style awards, and publicly discussing complicated issues in the media. From Watson's U.N. speech read more

The name Ashley Graham first appeared on my radar after it was announced she was the beauty seen in Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition's first-ever ad to feature a plus-size model. Since then, I've noticed her popping up in a few different places, including in a video for USA Today's #InTheirWords campaign where she talked about being a body activist. Intrigued, I jumped on an opportunity to ask her some more questions. Glamour: What does the term "body activist" mean to you? Ashley Graham: One of my favorite sayings is "sexy is a state of mind," but unfortunately, society has people convinced that common female body characteristics, like cellulite and stretch marks, are flaws. There are few curvy women to look up to as role models. I'm here to remind women that our bodies are beautiful at any size, as long as you are living a healthy lifestyle and taking care of yourself. I've always been a firm believer that obtaining a positive body image starts from within. Instead of dwelling on the things I can't change about my appearance, I look at myself in the mirror and embrace everything. I perform daily affirmations—"I love my awkward butt shape and thick read more

Roxane Gay, Germaine Greer, and Elizabeth Gilbert convened for a panel at the All About Women festival in Sydney this past Sunday, International Women's Day. I don't have a whole lot to say about this video clip, above, featuring the three luminaries, except that it's an inspiring must-watch. One of my favorite parts is when Greer says: "If you define something you limit it, you actually straitjacket it. It's very important that feminism is not defined, that it's allowed to grow and be organic. We should also consider whether we can put any real meaning into the word equality. What with? With the current state of men? With the corporate society we live in, which is unjust to everybody in it? Equality is OK because everybody thinks they understand it, but in fact nobody does understand it." If you have some time today, check out the entire panel talk (it's about an hour): And more from the All About Women festival in Australia on its YouTube channel. read more

Oh, The Bachelor. I've been avoiding talking about it, not only because my secret shame is that I actually watch the show (I know, I know—but I do and so that happens) but also because this particular season, the main question seems to be, "Will you give up your life for me?" And so not only have these mostly smart, always beautiful, and often successful women been vying for roses, as the show demands, they have been doing so knowing that to marry Chris Soules means to spend the rest of their lives on a farm in the middle of nowhere, popping out babies and going to high school football games on Friday nights . Buh-bye, career! So long, friends! See you later, art and culture and other things I like! I'm going to Iowa to marry some guy I've known for about, oh, 10 minutes. I realize a feminist analysis of a show that should really be called Random Women, Audition to Be My Wife! is a bit absurd, The Bachelor being so obviously sexist and antiquated. But this season, the stereotyping of women is just so over the top, and the desperation so in-your-face, it deserves our attention read more

I have a confession: It was hard to narrow this list down to 10 quotes, because there are so many cool, powerful women using their voices to speak out for equality. And that's great news, considering March is Women's History Month. Here is a roundup of Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest posts featuring top actresses talking about feminism. I know there are a lot left off here, so share some of your non-listed favorites in the comments! A photo posted by @living_breathing_fangirl on Oct 14, 2014 at 8:07pm PDT A photo posted by Morgan Kelley (@morgan_kelley) on Mar 4, 2015 at 9:54pm PST A photo posted by Kat♏ Ellis (@ambrosia1182) on May 3, 2014 at 10:36am PDT Well said, @PattyArquette. #Oscars #EqualRights pic.twitter.com/opZL03Eism— Glamour (@glamourmag) February 23, 2015 A photo posted by @just_want_equality on Dec 8, 2014 at 3:51am PST #ellenpage #feminism #womeninfilm pic.twitter.com/gGMBrkFWhW— Sheer Screen Films (@SheerScreenFilm) December 8, 2014 Want more inspiration? Check out these inspiring quotes by some of your favorite feminist icons. read more

Until last week, I had absolutely zero idea I'd be writing this post today. I had an appointment booked with a buzzy colorist I was so excited to see, told her I was game for a change, and when she said "I'm thinking Amy Adams from American Hustle," I think I just basically flashed her a thumbs-up sign with my eyes. The resulting color is a pinky-red that darkened the ombre I've had for a few years, and I was still deciding whether I loved it myself when I came home. (John Legend's stuck by Chrissy Teigen through many a hair change, reason no. 451 I love them as a couple). "What did you do to your hair? I do not like it," my husband said when we saw each other at the end of the day (this was a guy who's been oblivious in the past to the point where I told the salon folk that I wasn't even sure he'd notice). I was surprised he didn't like it but even more conflicted about whether I'd made a misstep. My gut had been powered by a feminist notion that the hair's on my head and, as such, I can read more

Currently in the works at HBO: a miniseries about the history of iconic women's magazine Ms. and its founder, American feminist icon Gloria Steinmen. Up to play Steinem? None other than Academy Award winner Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler, Crazy, Stupid, Love). According to a report in The Wrap, "The miniseries will examine the creation of Ms. magazine in 1971 through the eyes of both the women who founded and ran it and those whose lives it changed during the world-altering early days of the Women’s Movement." Ms. originally appeared in the early 1970s as part of New York magazine—and was spun off into its own entity by cofounders Steinem and Letty Cottin Pogrebin. At the time, "I realized as a journalist that there really was nothing for women to read that was controlled by women, and this caused me along with a number of other women to start Ms. magazine," Steinem once said in a documentary. The magazine's own "about" page describes the climate into which it first launched:Ms. was a brazen act of independence in the 1970s. At the time, the fledgling feminist movement was either denigrated or dismissed in the mainstream media -- if it was mentioned at read more

"Who are you wearing?" It's the question we expect interviewers to ask celebrities on the red carpet on Sunday, but Jennifer Siebel Newsom, founder and CEO of the Representation Project, an organization that looks to overcome gender stereotypes through film, things actresses deserve a whole lot more. That's why she started the #AskHerMore campaign, calling on interviewers to dive deeper into famous women's accomplishments rather than focusing on shoes, clothes, and manis. Reese Witherspoon, nominated for Best Actress for her role in Wild, was also a producer of the film. I'll give her that: The "mani cam", where female celebrities are awkwardly asked to place their nails in front of a video camera, is pretty damn awkward slash terrible. But I have mixed feelings about the campaign as a whole. I'm all about hashtag activism—getting people talking about issues, especially those as crucial as gender equality, is a worthwhile effort. But are red carpet interviews really the hill we want to conquer? For one thing, male celebrities are also asked about what...excuse me, who (you're wearing a person! She clinging onto you for dear life!)...they have on. It's part of the game: Famous designers dress famous celebrities in free or read more

Feminist slogan-emblazoned fashion isn't something you see everyday—but Luella Bartley and Katie Hillier sent a statement-making Marc by Marc Jacobs collection down the New York Fashion Week runway yesterday. Literally. Statement-making. The powerful collection—in a palette of glossy patent blacks, bold orange-reds, strong red plaids, and sport-inspired paneling—was accented with graphic slogans including "Our Choice," "Unite," and "Solidarity." The show opened to the soundtrack of T. Rex's "Children of the Revolution" "It's about harnessing the energy and the positivity of youth and that feeling that when you're young, you can change the world," Bartley told the Daily Mail. "Just because you're in fashion doesn't mean you don't have an opinion about everything else." Check out some of the strongest looks here: Do you wish more designers made politics and empowerment part of their designs? Tell us what you think below. read more

The men of Portlandia have really got this whole feminism thing nailed, my friends. Just take a look at this sketch, in which a group of men (including Fred Armisen wearing a T-shirt that appears to have the famous quote "Well-behaved women seldom make history" printed on the front) attend an all-male feminist support group. Some winning lines on what makes these characters feminists: "I've never hired a geisha," "I've been saying to ladies on the street, 'Are you a doctor?'...just so there's not a feeling that only men can be doctors," and "I don't even see hair color." It's pretty funny and definitely worth a few minutes of your life. Check out the full clip below: read more

Unlikely Hollywood feminist icon Ryan Gosling isn't just the accidental poster child for the brilliant Tumblr/meme Feminist Ryan Gosling—he's also unknowingly changing the way ordinary men perceive the feminist movement. Seriously. According to a study conducted at the University of Saskatchewan, men who look at the images from the Feminist Ryan Gosling Tumblr show "a significantly higher endorsement of feminist beliefs" afterward. "We definitely thought that they were fun, you know, they've been circulated around our research lab, but we really wondered as well as being cute and funny, are they a real persuasive device?" Ph.D. candidate Sarah Sangster told CBC News. Is this excellent or what? Science can be fun! I fully endorse more Ryan Gosling studies—how about you? read more

It's been a bit of a tough week for women's rights. On Thursday, the GOP-controlled House passed a bill that would limit women's access to an abortion—a right that is supposed to be protected by the Roe v. Wade decision that took place 42 flipping years ago. And in case the news out of Washington is bumming you out too, I decided to round up some wisdom from women we all channel sometimes. Because let's be honest: There's never a bad time to ask yourself, What Would Gloria Do? A photo posted by Natasha S. Alford (@natashasalford) on Jan 7, 2015 at 5:52am PST A photo posted by alexchillisauce (@alexchillisauce) on Jan 17, 2015 at 2:40am PST A photo posted by Jennifer Birney (@jennb2504) on Jan 10, 2015 at 1:04am PST A photo posted by Andrea (@andrea_jillian) on Jan 19, 2015 at 8:40pm PST A photo posted by Dagley & Co. (@smallbiztaxtips) on Jan 3, 2015 at 8:45am PST What are some of your favorite quotes from women? (I know, that's a HUGE question. So many to choose from.) Share your top picks in the comments! read more

Feminism is one of today's buzziest terms, as it should be! I love that people are realizing it's fundamentally about equality, not exalting women while repressing men. While feminism clearly has a place in the office, I also see it as absolutely necessary for any good relationship while some people think it makes the guy feel like less than a man. So not true! Here are some signs the guy you're dating is a feminist (and an awesome one, at that). He cares about your orgasm. In my human sexuality course in college, we talked about this pervasive idea that a man's penis is the real star of sex, making the act all about men's pleasure. That idea's reflected in porn, most of which shows a woman having multiple orgasms the second she's penetrated (because that's so clearly true-to-life, right?). Your guy gets that sex is about two people, not just him. Instead of prioritizing his own pleasure and falling asleep the second he gets his, he understands that it can be tougher for women to have as good of a time and does everything he can to remedy that. He treats your professional goals with respect. He doesn't think read more

Around the office, we've spent a lot of time over the past few weeks discussing all the amazing older women who have been popping up in major ad campaigns: Joan Didion for Céline, Joni Mitchell for Saint Laurent, and a trio of grandmothers for Dolce & Gabbana. If you think about it, one designer brand using older women is interesting, two is fascinating, and three—three is "Whoa, something is going on here!" It wasn't until working on a story for earlier today about how men react to super low-cut outfits that I connected some dots. We've all heard the adage "sex sells" at least a hundred times by now, and it's true. It might be happening subconsciously, but a whole heck of a lot of the things we buy are because we want to appear more desirable, whether it's as simple as a sexy cocktail dress or a little more finessed (as in, all the sexy celebs buy this brand of bottled water or drive this type of luxury car, and therefore I want to too!). Flip through any magazine and check out the ads. The lion's share feature models with gorgeous bodies, guys without shirts (hi, Justin Bieber!), read more

Despite a rumored paycheck of $1 million per episode for her work on The Big Bang Theory, actress Kaley Cuoco isn't a feminist. How do we know? She said so. In fact, she doesn't even really need gender equality. In a recent interview, Cuoco was asked if she is a feminist. "Is it bad if I say no?" she responded. "It's not really something I think about. Things are different now, and I know a lot of the work that paved the way for women happened before I was around. I was never that feminist girl demanding equality, but maybe that's because I've never really faced inequality." Apparently, Cuoco has been lucky to have been spared the pay-scale gender inequality in Hollywood—one that plagues even stars like Hilary Swank, who recently said that her male costars are paid 10 times what she earns. Instead of worrying about equality, Cuoco likes to spend her time "serving" her husband. Now, don't get me wrong, I love cooking—and making food for friends and family is one of my all-time favorite things to do in my spare time. But, personally, I would never think of it as serving. "I cook for Ryan five nights read more

There's a history of feminism in the world that stretches well beyond the realm of contemporary pop culture and its celebrity-driven 21st-century dialogue on the subject. In the United States, one of the most important moments in the modern women's movement happened between 1966 and 1971—and it's precisely these five years that are documented in new film She's Beautiful When She's Angry, which arrives in select theaters across the country today. "She's Beautiful takes us from the founding of NOW, with ladies in hats and gloves, to the emergence of more radical factions of women's liberation; from intellectuals like Kate Millett to the street theatrics of W.I.T.C.H. (Women's International Conspiracy from Hell!)," say the film's notes. It's a riveting survey of one moment in time, reports The New York Times:Ms. Dore’s movie packs a lot in, taking us on a whirlwind tour of those early years, roughly 1966 to 1971. Here are consciousness-raising groups; the birth of the National Organization for Women; protests at the 1968 Miss America Pageant; marches; poetry readings; “Our Bodies, Ourselves”; snippets of “The David Frost Show” (“Why are you so sensitive?” he asks his feminist guests); schisms in the movement (race, class, the lesbian read more

Every year, Thanksgiving marks the unofficial beginning of the winter holiday season here in the United States—and it's a good time to step back and take stock of everything we have, all that we're grateful for, and hopes for our near futures. It's also a time of year that lends itself to social awareness—volunteering, donating to charities, remembering those less fortunate. Today is the official International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. It's a designated day that's hugely important, and on the United Nations website, Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon issued the following statement, which I feel is an important read and reminder of what women are up against all over the world every day. Here it is, in full, with emphasis added throughout.Sexual and gender-based violence is the most extreme form of the global and systemic inequality experienced by women and girls. It knows no geographic, socioeconomic, or cultural boundaries. Worldwide, one in three women will suffer physical or sexual violence at some point in her life, from rape and domestic violence to harassment at work and bullying on the Internet.This year alone, more than 200 girls have been kidnapped in Nigeria; we have seen graphic testimony from Iraqi read more

Natalie Dormer has played a spate of powerful female characters—including Margaery Tyrell in Game of Thrones and Anne Boleyn on The Tudors. This month, she stars in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1—and we love what she recently had to say about the state of feminism today. "It really is crazy that the word feminist can have negative connotations in 2014," Dormer recently told The Daily Beast. "It upsets me that the younger generation of women think it’s a dirty word and associate it with a kind of militantism or a sense of female superiority. It’s not. It just means liberation and equality." Dormer's comments seem particularly timely. Over the past year, lots of women celebs—including Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, and Kelly Clarkson—have made public statements disowning the feminist label. Which, perhaps, is ironic, considering feminism is at least partially to credit for what were probably crucial star-making opportunities and pivot points in their careers. "Women are over 50 percent of the population," Dormer says. And, as for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1, "It’s one of the few films that actually represents us. What we’re aiming for in the industry is not to go, 'Girl power! Wave the flag!' read more

For the fourth year, Time is asking readers to vote on which annoying, overused word or phrase should be banned from following us into 2015. Previous winners include OMG, LOL, and twerk, and some of this year's contenders are equally banworthy: I think we can all agree that obvi, "I can't even," om nom nom nom, literally, "sorry not sorry," turnt, yaaasssss, and "said no one ever" have all reached their cringe-worthy peak. But how on earth did feminism, an actual, powerful word with a long history—not an obnoxious, silly-sounding hashtag—make it on this list? And why is it winning by a landslide? What would Gloria say? According to the Time.com article that includes the survey, feminism was included in this year's list of banworthy words for the following reason: feminist: You have nothing against feminism itself, but when did it become a thing that every celebrity had to state their position on whether this word applies to them, like some politician declaring a party? Let's stick to the issues and quit throwing this label around like ticker tape at a Susan B. Anthony parade. I would certainly hope that Time has "nothing against feminism itself" since, for the millionth read more